Year 2193, Rome, Italy

Spike sat in the cellar to the house Buffy bought in Rome and watched the slayers train hand-to-hand combat. Both moved with a cats grace and the speed of an attacking cobra, the movements were almost fuzzy. And everything seemed so simple.

"It seems like I've finally reached your level, Buffy", Cor smirked.

Buffy just smiled and sat up a higher speed. Soon, Cor was laying on the floor, panting, with Buffy's foot on her chest.

"Oops!" she said with a dazzling smile." I just happened to beat you. Again."

Cor shook her head and sat up.

"How can you move that fast!?" she asked tiredly. "It's inhuman."

Buffy laughed at her. "No, it's not, Cor," she said softly. "It's just about an emptiness inside. Don't look on your opponents body, it's his eyes which will tell you what he intends to do. Let your instincts take over. Train a few years with Spike and you'll learn."

"And under that time, you'll just get faster," Cor sighed.

Buffy just smiled and helped her friend up. They started to say something, but Spike didn't hear what as his attention was drawn to a voice screaming 'Call me manana' from his pocket. He swore and picked up his black phone.

"Spike," he said shortly as he left the basement to go to his sun free apartment between the basement and first floor.

"It's Angel," a well known voice said.

Spike cursed whatever god he could remember. He hadn't heard a word from his sire for over ten years. And then he had made it clear that he didn't want to be contacted unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Yes?" he said irritated

"We've got a problem," Angel said. "The Hellmouth in Sunnydale is reopening and the councils slayer has just been called, so she has no experience. Her watcher was killed only a few days ago too. The poor girl does her best, but she can't stop it alone. Doyle and I'm going there to help."

"So?" Spike wondered. "Why are you calling me?"

"You live with em her /em latest replacement," Angel pointed out. "Ask her to help."

Spike frowned.

"You still refuse to say Buffy's name?" he asked. "I'd have thought you were over her by now."

Angel sighed. "No," he said in strangled voice. "I loved her, Spike, I will never forget her. I miss her, but she's been dead for years now..."

"We'll come," Spike said quickly, not wanting his sire go down on another guilt trip. "I think you can count on us being there tomorrow. See ya!" He turned off the phone and went down in the basement again.

"Girls!" he called as he opened the door. "Sunnydale is boiling again, and the new slayer needs some help."

Buffy looked up from the sword she was sharpening."OK" she said shortly. "Get us a plane to LA. Cor and I will pack. You're going with us?"

Spike nodded.

"Trust me," he muttered. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

-#-#-#-

Sunnydale High School Library

Alixandra strode into the library and took her weapons out of the locker in there. It was so empty here since her watcher died, and now when the Hellmouth was opening, she was afraid to die. She had no clue about what would happen and her new watcher had yet to arrive. The council had told her that back up were coming, but what if they didn't get here in time?

Suddenly her vampire sense went off and she turned around. She immediately spotted a vampire and a half demon in the door. Both were tall and dark, and by the strong signal she got of them, they were really old. By all means they shouldn't be here, they hadn't been invited.

"How did you come in?" she snapped.

The taller of them, the vampire, smiled.

"Deja vu," he commented to his friend. "Well, Alixandra, we got invited here for hundred years ago, take or give a few years. The invitation is still intact."

Alix made a grimace.

"And who in hell would be so stupid that he invited you in?" she replied.

"She, actually," the man said. "It..."

"...was me," a voice belonging to a woman cut in from behind her.

Alix swirled around as her vamp sense went off again. Before her stood a tall, blond vampire dressed in leather pants, a black shirt and a black trench coat together with a tall brunette with long hair, dressed in dark blue jazz pants matching tank top and armed with a crossbow. But the one of the three which caught her eye were the petite woman with braided waist length dark brown hair and intensive green eyes, dressed in red leather pants, black top and black knee boots with a long slender sword in her hand. She was practically glowing of strength and power.

While Alix stared the woman smiled.

"As Angel and Doyle forgot to introduce themselves or us for that matter," she said, "I'll do it. Well, he in the black leather pants and black shirt is Angelus, or Angel for short. He in the blue shirt is Doyle. My blond friend here is William, also called Spike. The woman next to me in blue is Cordelia Chase and my name is Buffy Summers."

"The lost slayer!" Alix exclaimed.

Buffy rose her eyebrows.

"So that's what they call me," she commented. "But yes. And this is Cor, the third slayer. I died another time."

"How?" Alix exclaimed. "I've read about you and the others, and I can understand that Angel, Doyle and Spike lives but you and Cordelia?!"

"Good question," Buffy said with a smile, "but I don't have an answer for you. We seems to have a slight problem with aging and dying."

All the while as she spoke she looked grimly at Angel who was staring.

"Buffy?" he whispered hoarsely.

Buffy's face softened."Yes," she said softly. "Missed me?"

-#-#-#-

Doyle was staring at the woman he loved. Deely, alive? Abruptly he turned and left, but not before a cracked sob broke trough his walls. He strode out on the schoolyard and managed to get to the park before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Doyle?" Deely's soft voice asked from behind him. "What's wrong?"

Thoroughly he turned and looked at her with thundering eyes.

"Wrong?" he said low and icily. "Well, the woman I love most in the world just showed up 191 years after she broke up with me, accusing me for lying about my feelings, when she by all means should be dead. What do you think is wrong!"

Deely looked at him in two seconds, then pulled him into her arms, and held him as their sobs shook their bodies. Desperately they clung to each other as they were each others lifeline.

"I thought I'd lost you," Doyle mumbled into her shoulder. "All this time I've tortured myself with the fact you never knew how much I love you."

"I'm so sorry, so sorry!" Deely sobbed against his chest. "I've missed you so!"

He held her until the tears disappeared and she pulled away. Then he smiled at her."Another chance?" he asked softly.

Deely shone towards him."Another chance," she whispered then kissed him.

Then they returned to the library.

-#-#-#-

Angel stared at Buffy. How could she be alive? Why was she here? Then he remembered.

Not getting it he just stared at her. As his brain took in her words he nodded.

"I'll do anything for her," he whispered. "Heal her, make sure she doesn't die."

The woman smiled."And so shall it be," she said softly and disappeared.

-#-#-#-

It was he who'd done it. 'Make sure she didn't die'. She had taken his words literally. Then he realize he didn't care. Buffy was alive! With five quick steps she was in his arms.

"Buffy," he said hoarsely and hugged him hard to him. "You are..." The voice betrayed him and he just held her to him.

'Yes, I'm alive," she said softly. She looked tenderly at him with teary eyes.

"How have you been?" she asked quietly.

Angel straightened up, without unlocking their eyes or letting go of her.

"Empty," he admitted. "I've missed you so! All this time I thought you were dead..."

One of her hands traveled to his cheeks and stroke away his tears.

"I know," she mumbled. "The gods know I've missed you!"

She hugged him again and let herself be swept away by the intensive feelings he woke in her. "Don't leave me!" she whispered. "I can't stand being away from you again!"

Angel held her hard."No," he said softly. "But first we gotta go through this."

They parted as Doyle and Cor entered the library, hand in hand. Angel smiled at his friend at the same time as Buffy greeted Cor.

"Everything all right?" she asked her softly.

Cor smiled broadly."Yes," she said happily. "You?"

Buffy looked up at Angel who smiled back and pulled her to him again."It's heaven," she smiled. "It..."

She stopped as the voices of Slip Knot screamed trough the room at the same time as two well-known persons materialized with a thundering flash. It were Xander and Anya.

"Xander!" Anya exclaimed irritated. "Couldn't you be a em little /em more quiet entrance?!"

Xander laughed.

"No," he replied. "It hadn't been just as funny."

"We're not here to have fun!" Willow said sharply as she made her entrance in a flash of light.

"Sure," Xander pouted. "Spoil my fun."

Then he smiled.

"I can do my Charlie Chaplin number then!" he exclaimed.

"No!" Anya and Willow said as one person.

Xander pouted.

"Eh, guys," Buffy interrupted. "I hate to interrupt your quarrel, but what in hell are you doing here?"

"We're oracles," Willow explained happily. "The Powers to be sent us to fix a few things."

"Oracles?" Doyle said skeptically. "You have to excuse me, but something doesn't seem right here. You isn't like the oracles I have contact with."

Anya rolled her eyes."No," she said. That's Delilah and Bryan. They are fools without even a glimpse of a fashion sense. I mean, togas? They went out of fashion millennium ago."

"Girls," Xander interrupted. "You are getting' off the subject."

"Yeah!" Willow exclaimed. "That's true. OK, let's see. What did they want us to say?"

"Weren't it something 'bout ice cream?" Anya wondered as she started to chew on an apple. "I'm almost sure it was something 'bout ice cream."

Another flash was seen and Oz was standing in the middle of the room.

"Have you told them yet?" he asked Willow.

"No," she answered. "We can't remember what we were going to tell 'em."

Oz rolled his eyes.

"I'll help you," he said kindly. "One, Angel's soul is permanent. Two, Cor, Buff, Angel and Doyle's kinda obviously immortal. Three, when Buffy wake up tomorrow she'll remember the forgotten day. Four, Hellmouth opening was just a trick to get you here. Five, Angel's 'allergies' is gone. That's it. C'mon, guys. Giles want us to help him with a prophesy."

"Coming!" Willow, Anya and Xander said and disappeared to music of Bach. The five warriors stood as statues and looked into the empty air.

"That was...," Cor started and swallowed.

"...strange," Buffy continued, shaken. Then she smiled.

"Can things be better?" She exclaimed.

Angel looked suggesting at her."Much better," he promised and with a smile on their faces they rushed out of the library.

-#-#-#-

Buffy woke up and sat up. She remembered. She remembered everything. The day he gave up for her. But the thing that tore her apart was that he'd nothing for it. She'd died anyway. They could have had it all. A sleepy Angel gazed at her.

"What is it, beloved?" He asked sleepily.

Well, she did have it now. Almost, only better. She smiled and pushed her hair out of her face.

"I love you," she said softly.

Suddenly totally awake he smiled towards her and pulled her down to him.

-#-#-#-

A woman materialized herself next to them and looked down at the sleeping couple. She stroke the cheek of the woman in the arms of her lover and smiled. Then she lifted her head as a voice was heard in the silent room.

"Come, Anne," a mans voice said softly. "You can't guard her forever you know. Our child in this dimension is happy. Other children in other dimensions needs our help."

Anne smiled. "Yes, Brennan, "she said. "But I love this child."

The man laughed. "All of our children are her," he pointed out. "Miara's and mines heritage is carried out to her."

"That's true," she mumbled. "So true."

Then she disappeared.

The End